Welcome to the latest & greatest online Miata Club! If you are not signed in & have not registered you are only seeing HALF the forum! Sign in & register NOW to see ALL of the extra special sections we have for members only!

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

It might sound weird, but there's something between the black flares and the SSRs that does not work for me. I think it is the colour of the flares; would much prefer them in body colour I think.

I've always liked that I left the flares black as a point of difference from most other flared NA's that go body color. That said, it does have a different feel being paired with the RPF's vs these Mk2's. I definitely need to get back up to speed on photoshop for this as well as some of the other plans I have in the pipeline!!

Mostly been out driving.. and yes, it is so good to be back. First KINOD in over a month Friday night, home late and then up at 5:45 for a blast down to Cars and Coffee with youngest son and the furry co-pilot. All is well again in our Roadster world...

So my clutch starting clicking when depressed/ released and the car nearly stalled every time I came to a stop so after searching the forums revealed that indeed the "blue thingy" had broken. Interim fix with a carpet plug while I waited for Priority Mazda's delivery of a brand new Rubber Stopper (p/n B001-43-029) as well as a new speedo cable so I could address the "cold weather" morning squeals. Instead of getting to that this weekend decided I was long overdue in fixing my boot cover to fit around the roll bar - an easy job thanks to Adam's blog! For me, RevLimiter really is the patron saint of the Roadster world. Getting onto a sewing machine gave me a whole new appreciation of the skills upholsters have! Black thread on a black top did a good job in hiding my sloppiness so generally happy with the results...

Youngest son and I went to test it out which of course required a stop at the local donut shop..

Let’s face it, Roadster fans have more options to aggregate than ever before with the likes of FB, Instagram, etc but their ease of use is offset by such a limited ability to really connect. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately because I’m seeing more and more IG/ FB activity but am always most excited when I see what people have to say here. MR.net has given me the chance to hear the stories and passion behind many people’s builds and I’ve learned about the people beyond just their MX5’s. I’ve built friendships and been lucky to meet some of our clan face to face through my travels. I’m flying to London on Sunday for a short trip but hoping to see James again..

I mentioned before how Corifto and I first connected but through that Corey and I have gotten to know each other and become friends. Funny since it all started with me unknowingly sniping some AD’s he really wanted. Anyways, in late September I received an unexpected package in the mail and was totally blown away when I opened it up to find a special little box containing this!

From my build thread, Corey knew exactly what I was trying to achieve with Benny and having seen my choice of RevLimiter’s sill inserts, sent me a badge that would be the perfect match for a more vintage style! So much WOW!!! This weekend I finally bought my first Dremel tool to get it ready to be properly installed. To me it is the absolute perfect complement to the rear panel.

Corey was also the one that sent me a spare set of aluminum panels he’d had made to help with the fitiment of his GV’s!

Benny’s GV install would not have turned out so well if it weren’t for Corey’s immense generosity. And he and I wouldn’t have connected if it weren’t for MR.net. Now I just need to figure out if I can take the time away from the family and bite the bullet to get a flight to Tampa so I can meet some of the East Coast contingent at Miatapalooza ’17!

Eldest son/ co-pilot/ photographer and our dog got out Sunday to takes some pictures with a real camera. Tried to think of an interesting backdrop and landed on the USS Iowa. Looking forward to some weekend driving...

Bennys GV install would not have turned out so well if it werent for Coreys immense generosity. And he and I wouldnt have connected if it werent for MR.net.

Now I just need to figure out if I can take the time away from the family and bite the bullet to get a flight to Tampa so I can meet some of the East Coast contingent at Miatapalooza 17!

You REALLY need to come because I'm not guaranteeing to host another Miatapalooza anytime so, it's a huge undertaking and pretty stressful. Thankfully Corey and a good group of other guys are helping out this time around. And don't forget you get to meet Adam from Revlimiter, Shandelle from V8Roadsters, Kevin from Exomotive, and a lot more east coast tuners.

By the power of Randy my username no longer resembles a work login! OGL was suggested as a gamertag from my old team in Europe.. reportedly as a sign of respect for my "experience and wisdom". Whatever, I never really bought that but it kinda stuck.

I was in the UK for a week and managed to get down to have a curry with James (madaboutmx5) for a couple hours of catching up and MX-5 talk. Always great to see him and to be back in Blighty. If only I could figure out a way to check a hardtop as luggage (prices are 1/2 to 1/3 of what they're going for here and in healthy supply!)

When I got back stateside a message from Corifto reminded me I hadn't done anything about Miatapalooze so jumped on the hotel and flight booking. The countdown is now on and I can't wait!

No updates on Benny since my last post other than enjoying the drives including the weekly KINOD ritual when I'm not travelling.

The furry co-pilot seems to be getting more and more seat time...

Up in Palos Verdes I much preferred the view towards the ocean than the other direction...

Wasn't up to any mischief so no issues but still can't help get that feeling in my gut when I see the boys in blue.

I'm still making room for my boys and my youngest wanted to capture some driving pictures on one of our trips...

I got a Valentine's idea when we got home from that drive...

Maybe Benny would like a yellow hardtop and some flowers...

Nah. that wasn't it. Finally got Mrs R's car in for a mod that even she would appreciate with her 100% stock ethos...

OEM Stereo out and shipped off for Jeff Anderson's famous upgrade while I ordered a harness and some headrest speakers. Turnaround was unbelievably quick and the speaker install was a bit fiddly particularly for the harness but honestly? Holy crap!!! I had no idea how much of a difference it would make. Mrs R was over the moon and we're all enjoying driving the Sunburst more than ever.

In terms of what's next for Benny, we'll see what Palooza holds but I'm hopeful it will be a chance to score some goodies. Oh yeah, and I did win a YAJ auction recently for something I've been searching for a while now - just got the EMS shipping confirmation!! Happy days!

It was a good weekend, a very very good weekend. Benny finally has a Mariner hardtop thanks to fellow MRNetter Gene Rodriguez who's now on to bigger things with his AK acquisition.

Here's the shot Gene took with both our Mariner's..

I've driven the Sunburst with the hardtop and loved the visibility, how much better the stereo sounds and generally how it feels vs the convertible top (to date, I've only driven Benny three times with the soft top up since I've had him, each time was a surprise rain shower). On the bumpy trip back down from the 405 it was pretty unbelievable how much the top impacted NVH with not a single rattle whatsoever. More surprisingly is that the 60mph shimmy I've had since the MkII's were balanced also disappeared. Now even more motivated to get a RoadForce balance (all of which seem to be at car dealerships when I've searched on their site!?)!

Hello Pete. Car is looking great. Loving the look with the hard top. Hope you and family are well? In the space of your mx5 ownership you've built a very classy well chosen mx5.

Thanks for the complements.. tis high praise indeed coming from you! After our curry I've landed on three priority exterior details I want resolved before KINOD's annual meet in June which will be ambitious given production times from Japan, limited shipping options and paint. Pretty happy with the Interior but still keeping an eye out for some red JDM seatbelts and other bits and pieces. Finally found the KG starter I've been hunting for on YJ which arrived last week.. EMS packages are the best!!

Then on to the header, exhaust new clutch and some of the other mechanical bits. Thankfully still have enough to go that I'm not yet needing another project car

All is indeed well on this side of the pond, hope married life is treating you well ;)!